The Vikings get the full experience of Sam Darnold in their Sunday Night Football win over the Colts

The Vikings got the full experience of Sam Darnold in their win over the Colts on Sunday Night Football.

It was a rollercoaster ride at US Bank Stadium for Darnold. He was mostly efficient, completing 28 of 34 attempts for 290 yards with three touchdowns, a passer rating of 107.1 and some very nice throws. But he also threw two rough interceptions, lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown, and recorded a total of four sacks, at least half of which came from holding the ball in the pocket too long.

Luckily for Darnold, his defense was outstanding, so his three touchdown passes were enough for a much-needed 21-13 win that avoided a two-game loss and moved the Vikings to 6-2 on the season.

Justin Jefferson caught 7 passes for 137 yards, ranking Adam Thielen fourth on the Vikings' all-time receiving list. Jordan Addison caught a season-high 5 passes for 42 yards and a touchdown. A total of nine players caught passes from Darnold on the day, including three catches for TJ Hockenson in his return to action and TD receptions for Jalen Nailor and Josh Oliver.

According to the statistics, the Vikings dominated this game for the most part. They defeated the Colts 415 to 227, had 29 first downs to the Colts' 13 and controlled the majority of the time of possession. They also only committed three penalties, which had to make Kevin O'Connell happy. Thanks to Darnold's inconsistency and a few missed field goals, it was a closer game than it should have been, but the Vikings had deserved winners in prime time.

This was mainly due to the defense, which was great and only allowed two field goals, one of which came on a short field. Joe Flacco and Jonathan Taylor both struggled to get going for the Colts, and the Vikings had two big wins. Indianapolis was just 3 of 11 in third place.

The first half of this game was a comedy of errors for the home team. Darnold threw an ugly interception into double coverage in the end zone on the Vikings' first possession of the game. Then, in the second quarter, the referees controversially raised a flag on a Colts touchdown in which it appeared Darnold's helmet had been touched. And to top it off, Will Reichard missed the first two kicks of his NFL career. The first shot from 53 meters away was understandable. But when he hit the upright on a 31-yard attempt at the end of the half, you knew nothing good was going to happen for the Vikings. Reichard may be involved in the game, which is something to keep an eye on.

Although the Vikings had a 194-92 yard lead at halftime, they trailed 7-0. Whether due to a fiery speech in the locker room or just good old-fashioned regression to average, things changed in the third quarter. They came out of the break and shot 70 yards to tie the score. Addison made a crucial third-down conversion in the red zone, then made a highlight-reel hand-diving catch for a touchdown on the very next play. After another stop by the Vikings defense, the offense managed 80 yards in nine plays to take the lead. Darnold hit Jefferson on a go ball for 41 yards and then found Nailor on a cross route for a touchdown on third down.

At that point, the Vikings led 14-7 and did enough to secure the win. Flacco and Darnold threw interceptions on consecutive plays and the Colts cut the game to four points, but Oliver's touchdown and an onside kick recovery sealed the deal.

Next up for the Vikings is a trip to Jacksonville to take on the 2-7 Jaguars next Sunday.